Friday, 11 April 2014

Keeping Safe In The Sun

With Summer approaching and the fact that we're going on our holidays soon to Tunisia I've been thinking about ways to keep our children safe in the sun. I've found lots of helpful hints and tips so I thought I'd share them with you so we can all practice good sun safety this Summer.

Always try and encourage your children to play in the shade as much as possible, especially between the hours of 11am and 3pm when the sun is at it's strongest.

Always keep babies under 6 months of age out of direct sunlight.

Apply sunscreen to any parts of your child that are exposed to the sun, even if it's cloudy. Make sure the sunscreen is effective against UVA and UVB and don't forget about areas like the tops of the feet, ears, the back of the neck and the nose. Re-apply often throughout the day.

Make sure your child wears a hat, preferably one with a wide brim to protect their face and neck.

Protect your child's eyes with sunglasses that carry the "CE" mark to ensure they meet with the British Standard.

If your child is swimming then make sure you're using a waterproof sunblock and remember to re-apply after drying off.

Remember it's not just children who need to be safe in the sun, skin cancer cases are on the rise and although there are great treatment centers like Dr Woods, prevention is always better than cure.